Jaguar Land Rover suffered a severe cyberattack at the end of August, forcing the company to shut down its IT systems and suspend production across multiple facilities. The disruption caused widespread operational chaos, but JLR recently confirmed it has begun a phased restart of production at its Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre (EPMC) and Battery Assembly Centre (BAC) in the West Midlands. The automaker plans to expand the restart to other key sites, including Castle Bromwich, Halewood, Solihull, and its manufacturing facility in Nitra, Slovakia.
JLR CEO Adrian Mardell expressed gratitude to employees for their efforts during the recovery, stating, “We know there is much more to do, but our recovery is firmly underway.” However, the company remains cautious as it works to fully restore systems and strengthen security controls.
French automaker Renault also confirmed that one of its third-party data processing providers had been targeted in a separate cyberattack, compromising customer information such as names, addresses, dates of birth, gender, phone numbers, vehicle registration details, and VIN numbers. While Renault clarified that no financial or password data was accessed, the company has begun notifying affected customers and advising them to be wary of phishing attempts or fraudulent communications.
Ignas Valancius, head of engineering at cybersecurity firm NordPass, warned that cybercriminals often exploit such incidents to impersonate company representatives, lawyers, or even law enforcement to extract additional personal or financial data. He emphasized the growing sophistication of social engineering attacks, noting that scammers may pose as attorneys offering to help victims claim compensation, only to defraud them further.
The automotive sector’s vulnerability has become increasingly evident in 2025, with luxury manufacturers frequently targeted by ransomware and data theft operations. In addition to JLR and Renault, other global brands have reported breaches. The Everest ransomware group claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on BMW, which resulted in data exposure affecting roughly 800,000 electric vehicle owners.
Meanwhile, Swedish HR software provider Miljödata suffered a breach that compromised the personal information of Volvo North America employees, and Stellantis confirmed unauthorized access to its customer contact database via a third-party provider.
Valancius highlighted that cybercriminals appear to be deliberately targeting luxury brands, seeking to exploit their association with high-net-worth clientele. “It seems that luxury brands have been prime targets for hacker groups in 2025,” he said, adding that these incidents could lead to more sophisticated spear-phishing campaigns and targeted extortion attempts.
As automakers increasingly rely on digital systems, connected vehicles, and cloud-based infrastructure, experts stress that robust cybersecurity measures and third-party risk management are now essential to safeguard both company data and customer privacy. The recent breaches serve as a stark reminder that the automotive industry’s digital transformation has also made it a lucrative target for global cybercriminal networks.
